Playing the Long Game: How to Create Long Term Success in a "Right Now" World

by Sam Kyle

What does it mean to play the long game? To borrow a sports metaphor, it means skating to where the puck is going, not where it’s been. In a more concrete sense, it means thinking ahead on a scale of years, decades, or even longer. It means understanding the extraordinary power of compounding—how tiny steps can add up as time passes. It means being willing to delay gratification today in favor of a bigger payoff later. It means understanding second-order effects and unintended consequences.

I realized the only person I should be competing with is myself. Am I getting better? Am I making choices to give my future self an awesome rewarding life? Because that’s what the long game is about. Making decisions now that put you to where you want to be down the road.

Playing the short game is the norm because it’s easy. It’s the path of least resistance, the choice we naturally default towards, it’s fun and gratifying. Plus, it’s likely to be what everyone else around you is doing. It’s hard to be the odd one out.

when we play the short game across every area of our lives, it leads to mediocrity. It means disappointment further down the line.

The time is going to pass anyway. The only question is how you use it and where you are going to end up at the end of the weeks and months that pass.

The beauty of playing the long game is that it changes how you view failures and setbacks. They’re not disastrous because the long-term progress is what matters. There’s no urge to give up after a minor setback.

prioritize momentum over big actions because anything that moves the needle will make a difference.

There are three skills we have to master in order to successfully play the long game. Identifying second-order consequences Developing internal motivation Delaying gratification

Start looking for actions that are first-order negative and second-order positive. They’re not necessarily fun or beneficial straight away—in fact, they’re often hard and painful. Yet they have a worthwhile delayed payoff.

Are you really spending time with people who encourage you to get better?